Webs or other sheets of material are used in a variety of industries and in a variety of ways. These materials can include paper, multi-layer paperboard, and other products manufactured or processed in long sheets. As a particular example, long sheets of paper can be manufactured and collected in reels.
It is often necessary or desirable to measure one or more properties of a sheet of material as the sheet is being manufactured or processed. Adjustments can then be made to the process in order to help ensure that the properties stay within desired ranges. Measurements are often taken using a scanning head that moves back and forth across the width of the sheet.
When running cables to a moving scanning head, a cable track is often used to secure the cables. While this allows the cables to be pulled in one direction, the cables typically cannot be pushed in the other direction without buckling. Also, multiple cables often must be bundled together to avoid tangling.
As a result, traditional cable track designs use plastic or metal snap links that enclose the cables and provide the stiffness required to push and pull the cable track as the scanning head moves back and forth. However, the use of snap links increases the cost and assembly time associated with the scanning head. Also, the natural frequency of the movement of the snap links can overlap with one or more of the scanning head's natural frequencies, causing undesirable vibrations. Another approach involves integrating all cables into a single flat bundle, but this still does not allow the cables to be both pulled and pushed over long distances.